Posted on Leave a comment

Pierre Soulages (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.

He is the artist who invented OUTRENOIR

The artist, who prefers to work in a flat manner, relocated to ‘outrenoir’ in 1979. While toiling away on a piece completely covered in thick black, Soulages realizes that he has just taken a step forward by striating it. It was simply pure black pigment, yet it was able to bring forth light.

“My paint can is black. I found myself in an atmosphere beyond darkness. But what matters is the light, which is scattered by reflections, it is about how the reflections modify the light.”
Pierre Soulages

www.ftn-books.com is fortunate to have some great titles on Soulages available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Inez van Lamsweerde (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.

Inez van Lamsweerde, born on September 25, 1963 in Amsterdam, is a Dutch art photographer, renowned for her digitally manipulated photos. Together with her husband Vinoodh Matadin, she creates numerous art pieces that blend fashion photography and art. The two met at the Akademie Vogue, where they both studied clothing design. However, after two years, Inez van Lamsweerde left the school to pursue further studies at the Rietveld Academie, focusing on photography. But she still had a passion for fashion and incorporated it into her photography. Her photos are razor-sharp and can be described as perfect. Every aspect of the photo is precisely crafted and carefully thought out. Inez van Lamsweerde’s current photos include a combination of fashion and art photography. She works with many well-known brands and photographs models in the traditional style seen in fashion magazines, which is the fashion photography element. However, the use of light and contours in her work makes it appreciated by lovers of art photography as well.

www.ftn-books.com has some Inez van Lamsweerde items available.

Posted on Leave a comment

James Rosenquist (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.

Upon completing his education in the arts, James Rosenquist made a living by painting billboards. This seems to have been a crucial source of inspiration for his artistry. Rosenquist’s main focus was on large-scale paintings, which combined images from popular culture, such as advertising and pop music. As a result, his work is established as one of the key components in the evolution of Pop Art in the 1960s in the United States. However, unlike other Pop Art artists, Rosenquist’s creations often possess a deeper, political significance.

www.ftn-books.com has some nice Rosenquist items available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Peter Halley (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.

Hailing from the bustling city of New York in the year 1953, Halley has gained recognition for his masterful geometric paintings.

For a span of more than twenty-five years, the geometric paintings of Peter Halley have embarked on a complex game, aptly dubbed as “prisons” and “cells”, offering a reflection of the ever-growing prevalence of geometry in the social sphere. Drawing inspiration from New York’s gridded urban layout and the loneliness experienced by individuals within it, he envisions geometric shapes as barred prison cells, connected to the outside world solely through electronic means of communication. Alongside being an accomplished author, Halley also imparted his knowledge to students while honing his skills in painting and printmaking at Yale University’s School of the Arts from 2002 to 2011. Currently, he resides and continues to create in the vibrant city of New York.

www.ftn-books.com has a few Halley titles now available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Klaas Gubbels (continued)

When creating his paintings, Gubbels assigns an almost character-like personality to the coffee pot – which he usually refers to as a kettle. It can be seen sitting on a chair at a table or meeting other brightly colored kettles within the two-dimensional space of the canvas. The physical characteristics of the coffee pot vary: a double handle, heart-shaped, multiple spouts, and even legs. Gubbels states that he wants to break the monotony. Hence, the subject matter remains the same, yet the resulting work is always different. Gubbels explains it as follows when talking about his series of “Super boring still lifes”: “I purposely want to turn the dullness around. So that the boredom becomes something.”

Gubbels carefully considers what to erase and what to leave in. He ponders whether or not to remove the charcoal lines that sometimes run alongside the outlines of the painted shapes. He is not interested in making a painting more aesthetically pleasing. “Stupid, strict rules” – in Gubbels’ own words – hold him back from doing so. A painting should remain as it is; aesthetics should not be a guiding principle.

The limited number of subjects that Gubbels uses as a starting point consist mainly of a table, coffee pot, chair, cup, and occasionally a bottle or funnel. They are sometimes painted in bright blue or flaming red, and other times in more subdued shades of gray.

Aside from paintings, Gubbels also creates prints and sculptures. He studied at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam (1951-1952) and continued his education at the art academy in Arnhem (1952-1958). Exhibitions of his work have been shown at Museum Arnhem, Paleis Soestdijk (Baarn), and Livingstone Gallery (The Hague), among others.

www.ftn-books.com has several Gubbels items available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Robert Combas (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed

During the early 1980s, Robert Combas introduced a new form of figurative painting that left a lasting impact on the art scene. His pioneering work in the movement dubbed “Figuration Libre” by Ben Vautier brought together other notable artists such as Rémi Blanchard, François Boisrond, and Hervé Di Rosa.

Inspired by a sense of freedom, this art form boldly depicts various aspects of society such as violence, sexuality, human suffering, and simple pleasures. It also sheds light on societal flaws and narrow-mindedness, as well as moments of greatness.

Influenced by rock culture, popular imagery, childhood literature, school textbooks, and all that defines popular culture accessible to the masses, my approach sometimes involves using abstract techniques, reminiscent of abstract expressionism. However, the humorous and down-to-earth side of me is reflected in the figurative aspect of my work. It was initially a response to the intellectual paintings of the mid-seventies. Growing up in a working-class background and navigating through two different worlds, my paintings hold a deeper meaning. They exude a sense of boundless energy and offer a glimpse into my unrestricted creativity. Unlike cartoons, where one must adhere to set characters, my paintings grant me complete freedom – even with the format.

www.ftn-books.com has a special selection of books on Combas available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Sigmar Polke (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.

Sigmar Polke (Oleśnica, February 13, 1941 – Cologne, June 11, 2010) was a prolific German painter and photographer. His oeuvre gained renown in the early 1960s as a form of capitalist realism, often considered the European counterpart of pop art. He repeatedly topped the list of best-selling artists.

Polke taught himself to master cameras and employed a multitude of colorants, varnishes, and exotic chemicals in his paintings. His subject matter often includes images from antiquated books and modern magazines, as well as advertisements from the consumerist society. Within his work, he employs elements of irony, as seen in titles such as: “Higher beings commanded me to paint the upper right corner black” (German: “Höhere Wesen befahlen: Rechte obere Ecke schwarz malen!”). Sigmar Polke was the brother of Wilfrid Polke, also a painter.

www.ftn-books.com has some good Polke titles available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Lucio Fontana (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.

Human Writer Action.

In the realm of art, enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism reign supreme. This can be seen in the works of Lucio Fontana, a pioneer of environments and abstract art. His famous “Concetto spaziale” works, in which he cut and pierced the canvas, are considered to be part of the conceptual art movement. However, Fontana did not limit himself to painting, as he also dabbled in jewelry design.

Fontana’s influence in the art world was significant, particularly in the 1960s. His return to Milan in 1947 marked the beginning of his “Movimento spaziale,” based on his theories as expressed in his 1946 manifesto, “Manifiesto blanco.”

Fontana’s work as a sculptor showcased his desire to merge form and space, evident in his “Tagli” and “Bucchi” pieces, where he sliced and punctured his usually monochromatic canvases in a precise, cool, and refined manner. The colors he used, much like the works of Yves Klein and Piero Manzoni, were bold, solid, and flawless.

Incorporating new materials and ideas into his art, Fontana also aimed to emphasize the growth of technology. He experimented with techniques such as adorning his canvases with precious gemstones. For Fontana, the act of creating the artwork was just as important as the final result; each stroke and gesture spoke for itself, forming a unique and mesmerizing piece.

Contrastingly, Jackson Pollock’s action painting creates a frozen memory of the action itself – the rhythmic dripping of paint over large canvases on the ground. However, by cutting into the canvas, the painting becomes a spatial image; light is then able to come from both the front and behind simultaneously, transforming the canvas from a flat surface to a dynamic element within the space. The tagli (slashes) of Lucio Fontana are arguably even more transformative than Kasimir Malewitsj’s black square. With Fontana’s work, one can no longer speak of different art disciplines such as painting and sculpture, but rather an integrated work that consists of elements from installation, performance, happening, and environment. He blurs the boundaries between flat and spatial art forms in their entirety.

www.ftn-books.com has some nice Fontana titles available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Robin Winters (continued)

We are relocating!
In the coming weeks we will be occupied with packing and moving our internet store inventory. The entire collection needs to be transferred from Leidschendam to Oegstgeest, and this will take some time.
If all goes according to plan, we will be fully operational again on November 21st, but until then, it may happen that we are unable to immediately assist you with your order. We ask for your understanding, but as soon as possible, your order will be fulfilled with the utmost speed.

Robin Winters is a conceptual artist whose work spans a wide range of media, including poetry, painting, sculpture (bronze and ceramic), installation art, and photography. Winters is known for his practice in Relational Aesthetics and has incorporated practices such as blind dates, double dates, and divination into his artistic works. W.B Bearman Bags a Job was one of the pieces in which he would invite his audience into a box he had created. While the audience and he were separated by a two-way mirror, he would speak with them, play music, and tell their future. There are several recurring themes in all of Winters’ work, including faces, boats, cars, and the image of the fool. In addition to his own artistic endeavors, Winters is also an art instructor and currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

www.ftn-books.com has several Winters titles available.

Posted on Leave a comment

Dan Flavin (continued)

Dan Flavin, an iconic minimalist artist from America, gained fame for his unconventional approach to creating sculptures and installations using easily accessible fluorescent light fixtures.

Flavin was a visionary artist of the 20th century, renowned for his fusion of minimalism and Op art. He was best known for his unique technique of utilizing only fluorescent lights as his medium, obtained from commercial sources. These readymade lights consisted of four standard lengths and ten different colors, including four variations of white. Flavin’s focus was not only on the use of light as a material, but also on its ability to transform and interact with the surrounding space.

www.ftn-books.com has some nice Flavin titles available.